To those who can afford it, Isla Contadura, off Panama's Pacific coast, is a little bit of paradise. But those who live amid the greenery of Contadura Island, with its azure waters, saw Toni Grossi Abrams as a bit odd. It had been years since her husband, Martin, had died, but she always wore black. She had a brash style that rubbed locals the wrong way. Those who knew Ms. Grossi Abrams said happiness and fulfillment seemed to elude her. In her many business dealings, she seemed to always be engaged in some sort of bitter legal dispute. And she was always mysterious. "She was like a black cat," one Panamanian tells the Advance. "People were avoiding her." Ms. Grossi Abrams of St, George was murdered in Panama last week. Her body was dismembered and set afire.
-Peter N. Spencer
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A SILENT SUSPECT: As Panamanian police mount a massive search for two Colombians suspected of brutally murdering Toni Grossi Abrams, another suspect, an acquaintance of Ms. Abrams, is in custody. A 56-year-old woman identified as Debra A. Ridgely of Zelienople, Pa., admits helping dispose of Ms. Abrams body, but is now reportedly not cooperating with the investigation. "I'm not going to talk to you," she tells an Advance reporter. "I have no comment."
-Peter N. Spencer
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ON THE SCENE: The Advance has dispatched reporter Peter N. Spencer and photographer Michael McWeeney to bring back details of the murder of Toni Grossi Abrams. Look for their reports in the Advance and on SILive.com - the Advance's home on the Internet.

The deluge!

Chad Rachman/Staten Island AdvanceHilda Toores rushes to her Emerson Court home in Concord home after a concrete retaining wall collapsed during the weekend storm.

Chad Rachman/Staten Island AdvanceA Great Kills resident rigs a sump pump in an effort to dry out the swamped basement of his 82 Goodall Street home.

As floodwaters, hip deep in some cases and some of it laced with raw sewage, flowed into their homes, Islanders fled to hardware stores to buy pumps. What most of them found was empty shelves and other homeowners milling around, wondering what to do next. The stories are legion: A West Brighton funeral home is inundated. Cars are stalled after venturing into unexpectedly deep water. Firefighters helping homeowners pump out their basements as belongings float by.

Others are forced to spend hundreds of dollars to use pumps owned by local plumbers. "I was blue," says one homeowner as he tries to rescue his 14-month-old house from rising water in Port Richmond. "My hands were numb. You cannot believe the water!"
-John Annese and Maura Yates

Records are swamped
This nor'easter is not over yet. But it's already one for the record books. As of 10 p.m. Sunday night Central Park had received 6.34 inches of rain for the day, which is a phenomenal number. We had set a new daily precipitation record by 2 p.m., ultimately topping the old daily mark of 1.82 inches set in 1906 by nearly five inches. We also, easily, set a new record for the wettest day on record for the entire month of April, beating the 4.31 inches set on April 10, 1983. But wait, there's more. Go Under the Weather with Todd Hill.

Bayonne Medical Center is bankrupt
Just months after buying the former St. Vincent's Medical Center in West Brighton, Bayonne Medical Center declares bankruptcy. A spokesman for BMC says the filing will not affect operations at the Staten Island facility, now called Richmond University Hospital.
-Lisa Schneider

Also in today's Advance...
-Embattled A.G. Gonzales says he has nothing to hide
-Cleric's followers may abandon Iraqi government
-Russian cops deal harshly with Putin protesters
-Study: News is everywhere and Americans are less informed than ever
-Dinosaurs go on sale at Christies

Search the past
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Crossing an indistinct line
No matter where you stand on the subject of Don Imus and whether he was a scapegoat or got what he had coming, you realize the proverbial line in the sand has been drawn. No more "N" words from white men -- not nappy, and certainly not that other word. But what would have happened if Imus had just called the Rutgers women "hos," I wonder. He'd be on the air on schedule tomorrow, most likely. Go Beyond Beliefs, with Leslie Palma-Simoncek.

Every Staten Island sports score, every day
Need to know who won? Just visit Island Scoreboard on SILive - the Advance's home on the Internet - for the latest Staten Island sports scores. We'll update the scoreboard as soon as the results of the game are reported.

A shocker in Oakland
The smug might have thought the Yanks, with a 2-run lead, had it in the bag. But Oakland's Mike Scutaro selected a choice 0-2 pitch from Mariano Rivera with two on board and, in the crack of a bat, the game is suddenly 5-2 in favor of the Athletics. Worse, two Yankee pitchers - Pavano and Mussina - land on the disabled list.-Ed Price
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WHY IT HURTS MORE: When Mariano Rivera blows a save, it hurts more than usual because it happens so rarely. I challenge anyone to second guess how things went down. In my book, when the Yanks get the ball to Mariano with a lead, then everyone has done their job. Dean Balsamini is on Yankees Watch.

Not Mets yet
Right now they're working to hone their crafts on fields in New Orleans, Binghamton and St. Lucie. From top pitching prospect Philip Humber to 18-year-old wunderkind Fernando Martinez, the Mets minor leaguers have started their season. How are they doing? Stop by the blog. Eddie D'Anna knows Ya Gotta Believe.

What ARE those commentators going on about?
Do you know all of the state capitals?
Can you burp the alphabet?
Do you open a beer bottle with your teeth?
Well, if you can, then maybe you can be a first-round pick in the NFL draft on April 28.
OK, maybe I'm exaggerating just a bit. So what's my point? Michael Anderson steers the Sports Spotlight